Cut Me Down to Size and Open Up My Eyes
by msabbycatherine
Summary: Football was hard. Really hard. You'd think the coach would cut him a break. He was the new guy, after all. But, Hiram Berry didn't cut anyone a break, especially when it came to dating his daughter. AU finchel.
1. Chapter 1

okay, here we go. abby's first multi-chapter fic. the title is from the coldplay song swallowed by the sea and the prompt is from one of my favorite places in the interweb, finchel-prompts.

a very special thanks to two of my favorite ladies, carli and ashely, for beta-ing for me and listening to my incessant whining and endless questions.

**disclaimer: **glee is not mine. i wish it was. if it were, there would be no train scene.

* * *

Football was hard. Really hard. You'd think the coach would cut him a break. He was the new guy, after all. But, Hiram Berry didn't cut anyone a break, especially when it came to dating his daughter.

When his mom first told him that they were moving to Lima, Ohio, well, Finn wasn't exactly ecstatic. Hopefully, it wasn't as boring as it sounded because seriously? Who names a town after a bean?

Finn would make friends, of course he would, and then maybe, living in Lima wouldn't be so bad. Maybe being the new kid wouldn't suck as much as it did in the movies. He was easygoing, and he could get along with anyone. Plus, he was a pretty good football player, and that couldn't hurt... right?

When he went to register for school, the creepy, Indian principal asked him if he enjoyed any extracurricular activities, before sliding a list of the ones the school offered across the wooden desk. Glee club? No thanks. Black Student Union Club? He didn't meet the necessary credentials. Finally, his eyes wandered to the one thing he wanted to see. Football.

Apparently, the football program at the school was so impressive that you couldn't just join. No, no. There were tryouts. And they were next very day.

…

The incessant screech of Coach Berry's whistle was earsplitting. The searing pain in his joints was almost unbearable. The way his knees were quivering meant an ice bath was in his foreseeable future. Finn felt like he had been hit by a train. There was no rest for the weary, and after a couple days of moving in to his new house and heavy lifting, Finn would consider himself pretty weary.

At first, Finn thought that this wouldn't be too difficult. The Coach's last name was Berry, for the love of God. How scary can a guy with the last name Berry be?

The answer?

Very.

Finn was tossed in huddles and on the field more times than he could count. The guys on the team refused to go easy on him. Coach Berry refused to go easy on him, but it looked like Coach Berry refused to go easy on anyone. Finn was terrified of him. The Coach's scream pierced through the hot summer air as if they were on a never ending loop.

It felt like everyone was conspiring against him. Like they were playing a game called 'How Long Does It Take For The New Guy To Quit?', and from the looks of it, they would be winning that game shortly.

After a couple scrimmages and drills, Coach Berry whistled, gaining Finn's attention, and motioned with two fingers for Finn to come over to him.

"Hudson... that's your last name, right?" The Coach licked his lips from the sweltering heat.

"Yes, sir, it is." Finn hoped that the nervous tone in his voice wasn't too obvious.

"I like your stuff. You've got the potential to be a powerful player. To be fair to everyone else, I can't just hand you a spot on the team after one day. Some of these guys have been waiting for years to even get a chance to play, so I want you to come back tomorrow, and do this again. If you can demonstrate your skills once again, then we can put you in a jersey. You understand, don't you, son?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

"Good, good. I'll see you tomorrow. 8 am." Coach Berry began flipping through a clipboard full of names and plays and numbers.

"You will, sir. I'll be here." He turned around to go the locker room, in dire need of a shower. His cleats were kicking up grass, and he was almost out of earshot when the Coach called out "Hudson, it's Coach. Not sir." and returned to his clipboard.

…

As he reached for the handle of the door to the locker room, a hand grabbed his forearm. Finn's eyes followed the hand to the owner's face. He saw a mohawk and an unpleasant expression.

"Look, Flynn? Fred? Wait, what's your name, new guy?"

"Finn. It's Finn."

"Look, Finn, there are some things you need to know if you're going to be a member of this team."

"I don't even know if-" Mohawk cut him off.

"You're in. Coach looked seriously impressed during your scrimmages. He'll put you in. Hell, he looked so impressed that you might be QB, if you're lucky." Finn was pleased with what Mohawk just said. Maybe the Coach would make him quarterback. Stranger things _have _happened. Mohawk led him into the locker room and continued.

"Okay, so, there are a few unspoken rules that you've got to know. Don't interrupt me, new guy. This is really important... First, when Coach is talking to you, you listen, you nod, you agree with whatever he's saying cause the guy's always right, _always. _If, or when, really, he calls you by your full name, you're screwed, but it happens to everyone, sooner or later. Just prepare yourself, and whatever happens, you listen, you nod, you agree with him. Second, the Coach does dudes. He doesn't play for the same team that you and I do. Understand? We don't talk about it. At all. He will fuck you up if you say anything that bashes him on that. Just shut up, and leave it alone."

Finn nodded and tried to cover up the fact that he was shocked. Coach Berry was gay? He never would've guessed it. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's just surprising is all.

"Okay, new guy, this is the single most important rule of them all. Under no circumstances, and I mean _none_, do you date the coach's daughter. Coach saw me checking her out one day, and I did so many laps that I thought my legs were going to fall off. She's one of the hottest pieces of ass at McKinley, but if you're on the football team, she's strictly off limits. It's a stretch to even be her friend. Coach would swear she hung the moon. You don't so much as hit on her, or you'll be water boy for the rest of the year. Seriously, ask anyone on the team. You don't date the Coach's Daughter."

The rules sounded simple enough. He could listen, he could avoid the fact that Coach was gay, and he could definitely stay away from the Coach's daughter.

…

The past couple of days had been really exhausting, and but when Finn's alarm clock woke him up, much too early, in his opinion, on the first day of school, he was pretty excited.

He _was _the new quarterback, after all. Didn't that make him cool instantly?

By some miracle of God, Coach had made him quarterback. Hanging in his closet was a red jersey with the number five plastered on it, and a letterman jacket. Maybe living in Lima wouldn't be that bad.

He threw on a polo shirt, grabbed a hoodie, snatched a few pieces of toast off his kitchen table, kissed his mom on the cheek, and got in his old, beat-up truck, ready for the first day of senior year.

McKinley wasn't a small school. He got lost three times before the first bell even rang. He might be the quarterback, but he was still, first and foremost, the new guy. His classes seemed easy enough. English was going to be killer though. Who cared about Shakespeare anyway?

He was trying to find his Spanish classroom when he rammed, full force, into something, or maybe, it was someone. There was a loud slam when a textbook hit the ground, and when Finn crouched down to pick it up, a small figure was reaching to wrap her fingers around the spine of the book. Trying to be the gentleman that his mother raised him as, he grabbed the book, and handed it to the petite girl.

He was met by deep brown eyes and cheeks that had a blush streaked across them.

"Sorry about that. I'm not usually so clumsy. My mind was otherwise occupied, and I just didn't even see you. I'm very sorry." The girl was rambling and trying to sweep up some papers that had fallen out a pink folder with the name 'Rachel' strewn across it in delicate cursive.

"No, no. I'm sorry, Rachel?" He said her name hesitantly, as if it was a question, not a statement.

"I'm Rachel. Rachel Ber-" Just as she spoke, a shrill bell could be heard through the hall, cutting off her last word.

"Well, Rachel, I'm Finn."

"Nice to meet you, Finn... Don't let me keep you here. You're already late for class. That was the tardy bell."

"It was?"

"Yeah, it was." A look of confusion splayed across her face. Everyone at McKinley knew the bell schedule. Who did this guy think he was?

"Wait a second, are you the new kid?"

He laughed nervously. Was that what people were calling him? He_ did _have a name.

"I am. Is it really obvious?"

"It's not that. It's just I've heard about you..." She trailed off, obviously lost in thought.

"Good things, I hope." He gathered the last of her papers and her pink, 'Rachel' folder and handed them to her. "Here ya go."

Their fingers brushed as she took the objects from his hands. He could've sworn he felt a jolt of electricity go through him as her soft, smooth fingers were quickly tangled with his.

"Thanks, Finn." She set all her papers away as the blush on grew a little pinker. Maybe she felt it too? Whatever it was. "Since you're new here, do you know where you're going? Where's your next class?"

He pulled his folded-up schedule out of his back pocket, and his eyes searched the slightly worn sheet until he found his next class.

"I've got Spanish I with Shcuester." He stood once he had noted his class. Extending a hand to her, he added. "Do you know him? Am I in way over my head here?"

She grabbed his hand and laughed softly as he helped pull her up to a standing position. Although he didn't mean to, his eyes wandered all over her body, and then locked with her own.

The first thing he noticed was her height. He easily towered over her. She had to tilt her chin up to fully see his face. It was cute. She was cute.

The next thing he observed was her dress. It was way too short to be school appropriate. Not that he minded...

Her legs were long, and he had to peel his eyes away from them. He didn't want her to think that he was some pervert. But man, her legs were easy to look at. They were totally disproportionate to the length of her torso, but he didn't mind that either.

He couldn't stop looking at her, drinking her in. She spoke again, ending the haze she had put him in.

"Well, I'm not in his Spanish class," Why did that make him sad? He didn't even know this girl. He couldn't even tell you her last name. "But I am in glee club, and he's the teacher for that. He's nice, just stay on his good side. He goes easy on new kids, so you should be just fine. Do you know where his classroom is?"

"I don't have a clue." He gave her a lopsided smile, and she gave him a bright one in return.

"Well, I'll just have to take you to class, won't I?"

Yep, he liked this girl.

…

After a full day of school and just trying to navigate his way around the building, Finn just wanted to lie down. But of course, there was football practice. They had to get in shape for their first game, and he was the quarterback. He couldn't let the guys, and especially Coach Berry, down.

Once he was all dressed in his uniform and was in the process of tying his cleats, Puck, he later learned that his name was not Mohawk, sat down on the wooden bench next to Finn.

"So, Hudson, how's McKinley?"

"It could be worse. I did get lost a couple times though. That sucked."

"Eh, you'll figure out how to get around sooner or later." Finn nodded. Hopefully, Puck was right. "Did you get any shit for being the new guy?"

"Not really. Do people here do that?"

"Some of the guys might, but since you're quarterback, I doubt you'll get any. The girls love when there's a new guy. You could milk that if you wanted to. I would, if I were you. Find someone worth chasing?"

Finn spoke after looking around the locker room timidly. Rachel was the only girl he wanted to get to know. But maybe, she was taken? Maybe she's just characteristically nice? Maybe she felt bad for him?

Maybe, but maybe not.

"Yeah, there was one..." He trailed off at the memory of Rachel walking him to class, her boisterous laugh replaying over and over again in his head.

"What does she look like? Didja catch her name?"

"Um, she's short, and she's got brown hair, brown eyes. She was wearing a dress that was way too short, and uh, knee socks. She was wearing knee socks."

Finn didn't even have to say her name for Puck to realize who he was talking about. His eyes widened as he realized what the new guy was getting himself into. There was only one girl at McKinley who wore knee socks.

Rachel.

"Dude...that's the Coach's daughter."

* * *

and thats chapter one! im thinking this'll be around eight chapters long, but who knows?

reviews are love :)


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, here it is. Chapter two. I hope you like it. Ps it has been decided: there will be eight chapters... Now I just have to write them all.

A very special thanks to three of my favorite ladies, carli, ashley, and michelle, for listening to me whine about this fic in its entirety. (I pretty much have 3 betas. How lucky am I?)

**disclaimer**: I don't own glee, but I proudly own all my finchel feelings.

* * *

No, no, no. There was no way that Rachel was the daughter of his football coach. She could not be the coach's daughter. That was insane. She was too nice and sweet and everything that Coach Berry was not. It wasn't possible. Puck was probably just messing with him. Puck had to be joking, right?

Finn walked into chemistry the day after Puck practically dropped a bomb on him and found none other then Rachel Berry herself sitting at a lab table all by herself. Rachel looked up from her notebook that she was furiously writing in, smiling at him sweetly.

"Hi, Finn. I hope it's okay, but I took the liberty of making us lab partners when you missed class yesterday."

Figgins had called Finn into his office during chemistry the day prior, and the strange Indian man asked Finn constant questions. Are his classes okay? Did he eat the meatballs in the cafeteria? If so, is he updated on his Hepatitis shots? All these questions made him miss chemistry completely.

"I figured, since you're new, you wouldn't know a lot of people, and we had met earlier in the day, it would be alright. I thought seeing, and being partners with, a friendly face would make your transition a little easier... If you don't think I'm a suitable lab partner, then I'm sure you could switch with someone else. I understand."

Her smile faded as she finished speaking. There was a sadness in her voice that made it seem like Rachel wasn't a lot of people's first choice, but she was Finn's.

"I think you'll be a great lab partner, but there's only one way to find out."

He gave her a lopsided grin as he placed his backpack on the ground and slid into the stool next to hers.

"So, what'd I miss yesterday?"

Immediately after he asked, Rachel launched into a lecture about the periodic table.

She was definitely going to be the best lab partner he ever had.

…

After receiving a big fat F on the first chemistry test of the year, Rachel offers to help him "further understand this complex material." So after that, his days go: school, football, Rachel, sleep, school, football, resist the urge to kiss Rachel, sleep.

It's really hard _not_ to kiss her. Chemistry is easier for him, and that's saying something. She's just so pretty, and when he correctly tells her how many electrons are in Oxygen, there are eight, thank you very much, she smiles at him like he just won a million dollars or something. And when she looks at him like that, he feels like he has.

But this can't happen. He can't like her (he's pretty sure he's never felt this way about any other girl before) because at the end of the day, Rachel is still the Coach's daughter. She's still off limits. It sucks.

He just goes along everyday, suppressing his feelings, acting like it doesn't kill him when he hears Karfosky say things like "she'd be really fucking hot if she didn't wear animal sweaters" when she walks past that grade A douche bag in the halls.

He likes her animal sweaters. He likes that she makes him pour the Sodium into the test tube full of Chlorine because she's afraid it'll combust. He likes that she can pull off a lab coat; it's pretty hot, actually.

He just likes... her.

…

Before he knows it, it's the day of the first football game, and he's, like, really nervous. He's the quarterback, and that's a big deal. He can't mess this up; he needs to deliver because apparently whatever team they're playing tonight is McKinley's biggest competition in nearly everything.

He nearly walks into Rachel, again, once he's reached his chem room. He really needs to stop that. It's not like he meant to, but his brain refuses to think about anything other than all the plays he needs to remember. And blitzing. He can't stop thinking about blitzing. At the last second, he grips her shoulders to stop yet another collision.

"Whoa, sorry, Rach." He calls her Rach sometimes, and she says she hates it, but he knows she secretly loves it. She's like a puzzle, and he wants to put all the pieces together.

"We really need to stop doing that." She laughs and walks over to their lab table. He's right behind her, and maybe he stares at her legs as she walks. Okay, he stares at her legs as she walks. He'd be crazy not to.

"I-uh, I just can't stop thinking about football plays, and I nearly ran into you... again. I'm really sorry, Rachel."

She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, and he really wanted to be the one to do that.

"It's fine. I understand. I know tonight's the big game. Daddy has only been talking about it all week long."

It freaks Finn out that she calls Coach Berry daddy like it's the most natural thing in the world. Well, for her, it probably is, but it doesn't freak him out any less. Coach Berry yelled at all the guys on the team incessantly, and then he went home where Rachel called him daddy. Weird.

"Are you excited?" Rachel asked so honestly, so curiously, and Finn knew that she would listen to what he was saying. She wouldn't tune him out or string him along. It was nice to have someone that would really hear what he was saying.

"I'm nervous. I don't want to mess up or anything. It would be really cool if we won."

She put her hand on his forearm, rubbing her thumb back and forth slowly, and he felt himself stiffen and relax within the very same second from the contact.

"Finn, from what I've heard, you have this game in the bag."

She looked in his eyes as she spoke, and he knew that she meant what she said.

"As the Coach's daughter, are you, uh, required to go to all the games? Will you be there tonight?"

She laughed softly, her nose scrunching up a little bit in the process. He wasn't sure why, but he was glad to be the one to make that happen.

"Well, I'm not _required_ to go, but since my daddy supports me in my endeavors, I feel it's my duty, as his only daughter, to support him in his own. Even if I don't know the first thing about football. So, to answer your question, I wouldn't miss it for the world, especially if I'm friends with the new quarterback." She returned to writing in her notebook for a moment, and then looked up at him again.

"I may be the Coach's daughter, but I'm a lot more than that, Finn."

She didn't have to say that for him to know it.

…

"Nice touchdown, Hudson." Mike Chang patted his back, even though it was covered in pads, as they walked into the locker room for halftime. Maybe Coach Berry knew what he was doing when he made Finn quarterback. He had scored a touchdown, the only touchdown thus far, after all. Coach Berry walked into the locker room, and every players immediately found a spot on the wooden benches.

"Good work, gentleman. The offensive could be a little stronger, but overall, not bad for the first half of our opening game this season. Keep the linemen pushed back, and we could win this. Back to the field, everyone."

Finn followed the flock of sweaty football players onto the grass and looked around, trying to capture the moment. He wasn't buckling under the pressure, at least not yet, and the Titans were winning. There were tons of people in the stands. Apparently, people in Ohio took their football pretty seriously. He couldn't find his mom at all, but he somehow managed to spot Rachel in a sea of red and white.

She was beaming.

At him.

She was with an Asian girl, as he learned earlier in the week, was Rachel's very best friend, Tina, and in her hand was a red and white pom-pom. She was shaking it wildly, and even though she claimed she didn't know anything about football, she still managed to get pretty into the game. They locked eyes, despite the people and the distance between them, and she gave him the biggest smile he'd ever seen.

He was convinced she couldn't get any more adorable than she already was.

That smile was all he needed to kick ass in the second half.

…

They did it. He did it. They won. Finn felt incredible, invincible even. (He knew he wasn't, but that was beside the point.) The quarterback of the opposing team gave him Hell, and the score was close for an extended period of time. Finn was bruised and battered; another ice bath was in his future again. But he couldn't care less.

The word of a post-game party spread quickly through the locker room. Someone named Quinn Fabray was hosting it at her house. He showered because if he was going to a party, he couldn't go drenched in sweat. Mike offered him a ride. He supposed they were sort of friends.

As the new guy, he could maybe identify one in 10 people. Mike told him anyone who was someone went to these post-game parties. There was only one anybody he wanted to find in the crowded house.

He grabbed a red solo cup brimming with beer; he needed to look cool. The quarterback needed to look cool. It's not like he was going to drink. He offered to be the DD, but he just needed something to hold, something to stop him from jittering and his body from buzzing.

Finn made his way around the room, nodding at people who said how "awesome" his two touchdowns were. In a corner, laughing with Tina and a pale guy wearing a leather pantsuit, there she was.

Putting his cup on table full of empties, he walked over to Rachel.

He didn't want to be, he refused to be, stuck in the friend zone with her. Coach's daughter or not, he didn't care anymore.

* * *

Sorry for beating around the bush with the whole football game deal, but I, like Rachel, know next to nothing about the game, so I felt like that's what I had to do.

Any and all reviews are appreciated and taken to heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi hello! Amazingly enough, I am busier in the summer than I am during the school year. Who would've guessed it? Anyway, I hope that my loving and devoted readers (if there are any out of there at all, please let me know) like this next chapter.

Thank you to my afore mentioned betas, they know who they are. All three of you are pretty much my favorites.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own glee, and I wouldn't want to.

* * *

When Rachel smiled at him, as she so often did, Finn kind of felt like he could do anything, like climb Mount Everest, win the first game of the season, or make his move on the Coach's daughter. He would need a really bright smile to do that last thing though.

The post-game party was reaching that point of the night where people were just getting stupid. A few people looked they were about to pass out, couples were making out everywhere, and to be honest, this wasn't really his style. From what he'd learned about Rachel since the school year started a few weeks ago, it didn't seem like hers either. For a second, he thought, for the most part, he figured her out. But then, he _knew_ that Rachel was the type of girl that took a long time to figure out. Months, even years. He wanted to figure her out. At least, he wanted to try to.

There was still that whole 'don't even think about dating the Coach's daughter' rule that Puck had told him about, right after his first day of football camp.

He fucking hated that rule.

Finn was a good guy. He always helped his mom wash dishes when she asked, and he always held the door out for people. He didn't want to hurt her or anything even remotely close, so Coach Berry didn't have to worry about that. All he wanted was for her to see what he saw. She was a powerhouse, a force to be reckoned with, a girl who went after what she wanted. Although the amount of time he had known her had been short thus far, he knew at least that much. He wanted to know more.

She hadn't seen him yet because if she had, she would smile and introduce him to her friends. (He hadn't officially met Tina, but she was Mike's girl and Rachel's best friend, so he liked her anyway.) Rachel and Tina and the pale guy whose name he didn't know, were sitting close to one another, talking, laughing warmly, sharing jokes.

He could hear Rachel's giggle from across the room. After the first day of Chemistry, he was positive it was etched in his brain permanently. He wished he knew why she was laughing. He wished he was the one to make her laugh. The only thing better than Rachel's laugh is when he's the reason behind it.

He slowly approached the corner of the large living room that Rachel and her friends were nestled in, and Tina was the first one to notice him. She was smiling shyly, like it was a secret, a surprise that he was walking over to see Rachel, and her eyes were inviting. He appreciated that, especially coming from Rachel's best friend. The next one to notice him was the unknown, strangely dressed guy, and Finn felt his eyes all over him, as if he were determining if Finn was acceptable for Rachel. He hoped that her friend thought he was. Finn himself hoped he was. Last, but certainly not least, Rachel turned around to find him standing behind her. Her eyes quickly lit up, and before he even knew what was happening, he felt her arms encasing him in a hug.

He loved it.

She pulled away, much too soon in his opinion, and spoke first, her voice full of genuine words.

"Congratulations on your big win, Mr. Quarterback! My knowledge of football is far from extensive, but I know you played incredibly. Just like I knew you would."

He felt his lips turn into a lopsided smile, and she reciprocated with one of her own.

"Thanks, Rach." Her arms lingered around his neck a little longer than normal. Not that he was opposed, or anything. Her arms could stay around him for as long as she wanted them to.

She completely removed her arms from his body, and immediately, he missed the contact, the closeness. Rachel looked around toward and spotted her friends not too far behind her; almost as if she'd forgotten they were there, Rachel hurriedly introduced them to Finn.

"These are my very best friends, Finn. This is Tina." Rachel gestured to her as she spoke, and then Tina interjected.

"It's so nice to meet the man of the hour." Finn laughed nervously. He had to make sure that Tina approved of him because as Puck tried to explain to him after practice one day, girls won't date you if their friends don't like you. It was some "girl loyalty shit."

"And this is Kurt."

Kurt stuck his hand out, and uninterestingly added "Lovely to finally meet you." His face seemed to say otherwise. Finn extended his own hand and firmly shook Kurt's.

Feeling bold, Rachel snaked her arm through and around Finn's. He had no idea why, maybe she was slightly tipsy. He looked down at her, eyes full of concern because maybe she _was_ drunk.

"Are you okay, baby?"

Shit. That totally slipped out. He totally wanted her to be his baby, or his girl, or his... whatever. He just wanted her to be _his_.

She laughed, and it wasn't like she was laughing at him. It was a sweet little laugh that filled his ears, and it just sounded so nice. Maybe that's where the expression 'music to my ears' came from. Maybe everyone was talking about Rachel's laugh.

"Yes, darling," She playfully bantered. "I'm perfectly fine. How are you?"

Tina shot him a look that seemed to disagree with what Rachel had said.

"Are you, like, positive you're okay? If you aren't, I can, uh... I can drive you home." He was genuinely worried about her, and ensuring that, if she was in fact drunk, or tipsy, or something, she got home safely was his first priority.

"Actually, maybe heading home wouldn't be a terrible idea. It's getting late, isn't it?" Finn nodded. It was past midnight, heading towards one o'clock. "Let me just go say goodbye to Quinn. She's so lovely for hosting us this evening."

Rachel quickly walked away, looking for Quinn.

Kurt had wandered off too, something about a cute curly headed boy, and Tina leaned in toward Finn, speaking in a whispered voice.

"She's only had two shots, and they weren't even big. She's fine, just a little tipsy. Rachel remembers everything when she gets like this, which isn't very often, but still. Don't worry about her." He was. "And Finn, it's really nice of you to drive her home."

"Y-yeah, well, we're friends and everything. I just don't want anything bad to happen."

Tina gave him a knowing smile. Yep, she totally figured it out.

Rachel made her way back to where Finn and Tina were standing, and hugged Tina goodbye, saying she'd call her tomorrow.

Finn and Rachel left the Fabray's, searching for his truck in a sea of cars. Finding it after a moment, Finn open the door for Rachel as she climbed in the passenger seat. They drove in silence, a comfortable one, until Rachel gave him directions to her house.

"Finn?" He didn't dare peel his eyes off the road, but he could just tell that she was looking at him in a way that said more than her words ever could.

"Yeah?"

"How come you wanted to take me home? Tina could've easily done it."

"I-I... I just wanted to make sure you didn't drive yourself, and I mean, I haven't touched a drop of a drink, so there's that. I know you're smart, and you wouldn't put yourself in a situation to do something that could end badly. I just... really care about you, Rach, and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

He didn't dare peel his eyes off the road, but he could just tell that she was looking at him in a way that told him he said the perfect thing.

"That's sweet, Finn. Not many people would do that for me. Thank you." Her head turned away from him, and onto the road ahead, so she could point out the house she called home.

"You're a really good friend, Finn."

_I can be an even better boyfriend, if you let me. _

Those words were trapped inside him, and getting them out would be a struggle.

Rachel was perfect. She was everything, and how often do you find exactly what you're looking for without even looking? Maybe once. She was his once. You don't mess up your once.

Before he knew it, they were outside her dark, empty house. Apparently, Rachel's dads were celebrating the team's win too, so no one was home.

Rachel disembarked from the truck with Finn right by her side as they walked up the steps to the front door. Even though she was slightly inebriated, she opened the door with ease, and she was just about to step inside when Finn had to say something, anything to get her to wait just one more second before she left him standing on her porch like an idiot.

"G'night, Rach."

He silently cursed himself because seriously? That was the best thing he could come up with?

Rachel looked up at him through her bangs as she bravely, boldly said,

"You know, you can kiss me if you want to."

_God_, did he ever.

"I want to."

Suddenly, and all at once, her lips were on his or his on hers. His arms found their way to her waist, gently grabbing her hips. She had to stand on her toes, and he had to crouch down quite a bit, but he didn't even mind because he was kissing Rachel, and nothing else matter, at that moment.

Her lips were so, so soft, and she tasted slightly like tequila, but mostly, she just tasted like...Rachel. He felt her arms slide around his neck, and then she grabbed her wrist, all the while, still continuing to kiss him. She was quite the talent.

After a few moments, his lungs were on fire, and it looked like hers were too. So, they, regretfully, pulled apart, and he gave her a smile; she supplemented him with one of her own.

She murmured a quick "Goodnight, Finn", and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek before stepping into her house and locking the door behind her. Finn was so tongue-tied over, well, their kiss that he couldn't even find the right words to say.

After she waved a final goodbye, Finn got back into his truck, and drove to his own house. The ridiculous grin that he was wearing couldn't be wiped away because finally, he kissed Rachel Berry.

And then, it hit him.

_He kissed Rachel Berry. _

He kissed the Coach's daughter.

Shit.

* * *

Ahhh, an update! I promise to try and be more diligent on updating. We'll see how it goes.

I want to say thank you to anyone who has favorited, alerted, reviewed, or any combination of the three. This is my first real endeavor in a big, legitimate fic, and I truly value any and all feedback.

Review, review, review!


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